Soon To Be Dr John Urschel

Fans first learned about the brilliant mind of OL John Urschel of the Baltimore Ravens from a television commercial he did with the great J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans.

Urschel just announced his retirement at the age of 26 after only three seasons. He cited his plans to pursue a PH.D in applied mathematics from MIT.

He also mentioned a thinking problem caused from a concussion in 2015. He was unable to do complex math problems for a short period of time.

His timing is also closely tied to the recent study revealed about CTE and its effect on the brains of former players on all levels.

Urschel will now pursue his other interest in life. He is a brilliant student who attended MIT the last two summers and taught an undergraduate course at Penn State, his alma mater, during the spring session.

He got out of the NFL in one piece and made some money.

Rob Ninkovich

Last Sunday night, a member of the Boston media mentioned that one of the wild cards for the Pats would be whether any veteran players retired. It happened today with Rob Ninkovich.

When he didn't show up at training camp, rumors started to fly. It became official at a press conference today when he made his announcement.

Something happened after OTA's and now to finalize his decision. He looked very happy about it. Not many players get to leave the NFL on their own terms, but Rob did.

Clayborn's Day

Former Pats CB Raymond Clayborn was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame today at Gillette Stadium. I watched the live broadcast on their website.

It was nice to see so many of Clayborn's former teammates from the 70's and 80's. The names mentioned during the ceremony brought back a lot of memories. It's a shame that several of them are no longer with us. They died too soon.

Clayborn should have been inducted a long time ago. He was up against players from the Belichick era. At least he is there now.

A Bad Start or Baltimore

It's never good when your quarterback starts training camp with a back injury, but the Baltimore Ravens are facing that with Joe Flacco. He might be out for up to six weeks which would be near opening day.

The team is considering bringing in Colin Kaepernick. They need an experienced arm in camp. Kaepernick certainly has his baggage and many wonder if he can still play.

Coach John Harbaugh has the advantage of input from brother Jim who previously coached him with the 49er's.

There are two story lines here. The Ravens have taken a hit just as camp opened. Could this be a lingering injury for Flacco?

Does Kaepernick want to sign with a team that wants to use him for a camp body? Does he prefer to go to a team where he could be a starter?

At this point, Kaepernick has few options if he still wants to play.

Money In The Lake

Many professional athletes squander their money and end up broke after their playing days are over. The list is long and doesn't discriminate over success.

Falcons WR Julio Jones is the latest story after he lost a diamond earing worth $150,000 while on a jet ski. He hired a team of divers to find it, but without success.

Fans won't feel bad for him because his base salary is $11.5 million this season. At some point in his life, he might wish he never spent that money on one earing.

Dollars for Kirk

Players complain about getting the franchise tag instead of a long term contract, but Redskins QB Kirk Cousins should just count his guaranteed money.

The team gave him the tag for the second consecutive year. He made $19.95 million last year and will get another $23.94 million for this season.

This will be his third season as a starter. Long term deals are nice to have, but guaranteed money is better.

2017 Starts Today

Training camp starts this week for NFL teams. They all begin with a clean slate, but it's only a matter of time before issues arise. The Pats already have Donta Hightower and Alan branch on the PUP list.

Teams will start with 90 players on their roster before they get down to the final 53 and the practice squad. Retirements and season ending injuries will occur.

It's the beginning of a long journey for players and fans.

Always Getting Paid

Gronk is always showing up at some event. He is all over social media and laughing his way to the bank. He has created a second career of being Gronk.

It's a brilliant strategy. He has his brother and dad involved to watch his back. They have a Team Gronk concept. It's a money machine that cruises along.

Not Ready To Go Undefeated

Pats WR Julian Edelman has told the team's fans to pump the brakes on an undefeated season. Much is expected from this team which has a roster loaded with talent.

I think a 14-2ecord would be great. Back in 2007, the team was under too much pressure to go undefeated. They would have been better off losing one of their close games. It might have made a difference in the Super Bowl.

A Model Player

WR Danny Amendola keeps taking pay cuts to stay with the Pats. Why would anyone give up money?

The answer might lie in his plans after his career is over. He just signed a contract with the Ford Models agency.

He has so many more opportunities hanging around with Tom Brady and playing here. His connections would not be available elsewhere. It has paid off for him.

He knows that his playing days are getting close to the end. He is already building a new career.

The End For Michael Oher

Michael Oher burst onto the NFL scene with the movie "The Blind Side" about his fascinating life as an adopted teen. It came to an abrupt end when the Panthers released him because he failed a physical.

Oher hasn't played since early last September when he suffered a concussion which appears to have ended his career.

He will be eligible for an injury settlement on his contract, but what does the future hold or a 31 year old who is still in concussion protocol after ten months?

The Panthers have moved on and have retuned their offensive line. Oher is just another example of how most players don't end their career on their own terms.

Saying No To Camp

NFL teams should consider getting rid of their rookie minicamp. Every year, a player gets hurt and ends up missing the season. The injuries are usually severe.

These players have been away from football for months. Teams need to bring them along slowly. They have too much invested in them.

No Tebow Mets Time

Former NFL QB Tim Tebow continues his quest to play MLB. The New York Mets are giving him a chance in their minor league system. He was recently promoted to their Single-A team in St Lucie, FL.

Mets GM Sandy Alderson was actually asked whether Tebow would get a call-up by the Mets at some point this season. The answer was an obvious "no".

Tebow struggled last year, but is making progress this season. He has been on a hot streak recently, but has a long way to go.

He has many things working against him. It's laughable to even think he could get a call from the Mets. He only got a playing contract because of his name. It almost looks like a publicity stunt that both parties willingly accept.

Richie and Willie

Buffalo Bills OL Richie Incognito has certainly had a controversial career, but at the age of 34, he is ready to begin his 13th season in the NFL.

He appeared on the NFL Network tonight and did an outstanding job talking about the Bill's offensive line with Willie MacGinest.

I think he has a career as a broadcaster. He did a very good job and was very insightful.

The Conferences of Origin

The Pats always end up with a player on their roster from one of the smaller college football conference. However, a review of their 90 man roster indicates that they place a great deal of scouting emphasis on specific conferences.

They have 22 from the Big 10, 21 from the SEC, 14 from the PAC 12 and 6 from the Big 12. That's over 66% or their roster.

Coach Belichick is always singing the praises of the SEC. The reality around the league is that most of the players come from these conferences.

Every player has their own story about how they made it to training camp.

Maybe Done At 32

Darrelle Revis turned 32 today. Have we seen the last of him in the NFL? When he became a free agent in 2014, he had a contract with the Pats within hours. The same happened when he signed with the Jets in 2015. He made $118 million in the first ten years of his career.

Last year was a disaster for him between injuries and the drop off in his play. Teams are not calling him. If he isn't signed by the first preseason game, he might never get another chance.

Not Free To Move

Many fans were disappointed to see the Chargers, Rams and Raiders leave San Diego, St Louis and Oakland respectively. It was all about having a publicly funded the stadium which would've been an unfair burden on taxpayers. The team owners held it over their head until there was no other option, but to leave.

NFL owners voted for the moves with little resistance. It's easy to see why because the three teams ended up paying a relocation fee which went into the pockets of the owners.

The Chargers and Rams will each pay a total of $645 million over ten years, while the Raiders will pay $378 million.

The fees were off the news radar until the Packers, as a publicly held company, had to acknowledge that they received $27.1 million as their share of the relocation fees.

No matter what the owners say, it's always about the dollar when it comes to the NFL.

Calvin's Road To Losing

Former Lions WR Calvin Johnson is a great example of a player who had a brilliant career, but not much winning to show for it.

When he retired in early 2016, he cited his health as the primary factor. He is talking differently now when he mentioned that he felt the Lions were going nowhere in the future. He wanted out of his contract or a trade, but the Lions wouldn't do it.

In his nine seasons, his teams were 49-86. The Lions had several long losing streaks. Johnson said he grew tired of constantly losing.

His career stats are brilliant with 731 receptions for 11,619 yards and 83 TD's. His lack of playoff appearances will come back to haunt him when he becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame. He will also face competition from a number of talented receivers.

Pushing Themelves

NFL coaches at al levels sacrifice a great deal to pursue their dream. It's often at the expense of their health and family.

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians revealed that he was diagnosed with kidney cancer last December, but finished out the season. His surgery in February seems to have resolved the issue. He had two prior bouts with cancer in 2007 and 2013.

There are other coaches with major health issues. Some postpone doing anything because they are afraid of losing their job. They know that there is someone out their waiting to take their job.

Book of TB12

Tom Brady doesn't need to be the highest paid quarterback in the NFL. He makes millions in so many other ways.

He got a $5 million advance from the publisher of his health and lifestyle book coming out on Sept 17th. It's already #1 on Amazon. It can be ordered for $23 on some sites.

This could be a real big money maker for the publisher and Brady. The numbers could get crazy.

The Long Road To 37

We hear so much about the great defensive backs of the Pats this year with Malcolm Butler and Stephon Gillmore. Butler has already has his place in the team's history.

Hopefully in the years ahead, these two players will be with the team and have careers like Ty Law and Raymond Clayborn.

Those two former players are tied for the team's career interception record with 36. Will Gillmore or Butler ever break it? Will they have as many Pro Bowl selections as Clayborn and Law?

The record has stood for 28 years since Clayborn's departure from the team after the 1989 season.

Go Back To San Diego

The Chargers probably wished they never moved from San Diego to Los Angeles. They are playing second place to the Raiders when it comes to being a tenant at their new stadium being built.

For the next two seasons, they will be playing in a 30,000 seat stadium that they can't sell tickets to. The team will have its home games before some of the smallest crowds in the league.

Their passionate fans in San Diego never wanted them to leave. Team ownership was looking for a publicly funded stadium complex that was a horrible deal for the taxpayers.

Eli's Day Is Coming

Eli Manning continues to be hounded by his fake memorabilia issues. Another person is claiming to have spent $8,000 for one of Eli's game-worn helmets.

Manning faces a civil racketeering suit in New jersey's Bergen County Superior Court. The case is scheduled to go to trial on September 25th. Giants co-owner John Mara is listed as a defendant.

There is no easy way out for him. If he settles, it will be an admission that some of his stuff was a fraud. Going through a trial and losing could make him look real bad.

A good lawyer will always say to delay the case and hopefully it never gets to trial.

Work Wanted

There are some high profile NFL free agents including Darrelle Revis, Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III.

Who will be the first to sign with a team? They all have their own reason for not having a job. Maybe it won't happen for any of them.

Kaepernick has his own issue that keeps teams away. Revis is looking for too much money. I don't know about RG III.

In a league starving for quarterbacks, he should be on a roster. It's probably money with him too.

Suh Says So

Dolphins DT Ndamukong Suh is taking heat on social media for having the honesty to say that his team could beat the Pats.

We all know that anything can happen in the NFL. Any team can be beaten on a given Sunday. Everything thought the Pats would go 19-0 during the 2007 season, but the Giants felt otherwise in the Super Bowl.

Players waste a lot of time saying things that they can't backup. In spite of his personal success, Suh has never been on a decent team between his stints with the Lions and Dolphins.

The Great Wall of Money

We don't see Tom Brady fretting over being the 22nd highest paid quarterback with his $15 million salary for 2017. He is paid less than some who will never see the final year of their contract. The money will disappear.

Brady has been spending the last two weeks in China promoting the game and Under Armour products. He certainly left money on the table when it comes to his football contract, but is earning more with his endorsements.

He will never spend all of his money.

Big Dollars This Year

Pats WR Julian Edelman made a wise decision when he signed a two year contract extension that will keep him with the team through 2019. By then, he will be 33 and near the end of his NFL shelf life.

He will make most of his money this season, with a chance to earn up to $9.5 million. With all of the incentives, the contract will net him $13-18.5 million over the next three years.

He gets to be with Tom Brady and have a chance to play in more Super Bowls. At this point, it's all about planning for his post-career. He wouldn't get these type of opportunities playing in Arizona.

A Time To Sign

The NFL Network does such a great job with their programming. They are always looking for new ideas.

They decided to broadcast the story of two of the nation's best high school players announcing their college plans.

The NFL Network is always exploring different ideas. This might be a good program in the future.